


Signing off

by Gumilandia



Category: Borderlands
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Apocalypse, Canon-Typical Violence, Child Death, Explicit Language, Gen, I Don't Even Know, M/M, Suicide, This thing is so weird, general mental breakdown, i guess?, mentioned sex, or violence in general, trigger warnings too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-12
Updated: 2016-04-12
Packaged: 2018-06-01 18:17:00
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,257
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6530860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gumilandia/pseuds/Gumilandia
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Stupid war. As if we couldn’t have just resolved this peacefully. They wanted to talk. I got so many emails, called them so many times, but no. Jack wants a project, Jack gets a project. To hell with people and the world itself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Signing off

**Author's Note:**

> Written for an Anon [@purge-that-urge-rhackathon](http://purge-that-urge-rhackathon.tumblr.com/post/142625870075/like-a-prompt-its-nuclear-war-era-and-rhys-and)  
> Not really what you wanted I guess, but I just had to write it. Keep in mind this is the weird kind of fic.
> 
> Unbeta'ed, so if anyone sees the need to beta, pm me :)

                He wasn’t sure if he wanted to look at the pages in his hand. It’s been so long. And the place they found it all in? A desolate, irradiated wasteland. Even if somehow, by some miracle he got alive out of that stupid bunker, the chances that he lived for longer than a day were next to none. He didn’t need it, didn’t want to go through grief once again. None of them did. And yet he flipped the first page and began reading.

**File:** AL-522-G9A7

 **Data:** Transcription of audio logs found in an abandoned fallout shelter by recon team Theta. Shelter labelled “Bunker H 009”, shelter further called BH009.

Traces of biological contamination found. Facility sealed off, awaiting further instructions.

Audio logs recorded by an inhabitant, young male, mentions of inhabitant’s cybernetic arm and echo eye, known names mentioned: Hyperion CEO Handsome Jack, Vaughn, Sasha, Fiona (CB note: Rhys?). Audio logs seem to have been recorded irregularly, some parts are either missing or damaged beyond recovery. Recon team Theta found no signs of inhabitant in the vicinity of BH009.

 **Notes:** Hey boss, thought you’d be interested in this. Finally got Carrie Baker to transcribe those tapes we found in the East Pit. Some interesting stuff on them. You might want to take a look.

Sam

**Log entry no. 1**

                It’s been three days. I think. Sure as hell feels like it. Nobody’s calendar works. Not even in my echo eye. Must have something to do with the fallout outside.

                [- long pause -]

                God fucking damn it.

                I knew, I fucking knew teasing Atlas was a bad idea, but no, Mister High and Mighty Handsome Jack has to have his fill of dumb jokes. And of course he didn’t read the reports, why would he. It’s not like there was anything important in there. Nope. Absolutely nothing about nukes, and Atlas on the verge of using them if we steal one more project from them and use it against them. Nothing at all.

                Stupid war. As if we couldn’t have just resolved this peacefully. They wanted to talk. I got so many emails, called them so many times, but no. Jack wants a project, Jack gets a project. To hell with people and the world itself.

**Log entry no. 2**

                I swear to God, that man is insufferable. There’s fourteen of us here, two children, and he just hoards the supplies for himself.

                “Don’t worry Pumpkin, I know what I’m doing. You people can’t govern yourselves” blah blah blah, bullshit! I’m his [- unintelligible -] sake! I’ve been keeping tabs on all of his meetings, parties, lunchbreaks for years. We have people from HR here, even some from [- unintelligible -] tells me we won’t be able to ration our supplies? There’s food and water for everybody.

                Besides, we won’t spend our whole lives here. All we have to do is wait for an all clear.

                [- pause -]

                Right?

 **Log entries no. 3-6** \- missing.

 **Log entry no. 7** \- damaged beyond recovery.

**Log entry no. 8**

                My arm is acting up again. I tried to tinker with it, even had Josh from R&D take a look at it, but we just can’t find the faulty part. Not without proper tools. Jack has been getting quieter. Seems others discovered that ignoring his jabs for long enough is a way to shut him up. Nobody cares that he’s the CEO anymore. And looks like the kids aren’t afraid of him no more, so there’s that.

                [- long pause -]

                I’m tired. Not in a physical way, more like psychological… I’m just so damn tired.

**Log entry no. 9**

                Jack came to me today. He didn’t say anything, just sat there for a while, then got up and left. Still don’t know what was that about. Maybe I’ll ask him later.

                God, how long has it been, three weeks? Four weeks? Geiger sensors outside are still going crazy, which in theory shouldn’t be happening. At least that’s what Shania says. She’s a nuclear physicist, she knows her stuff, right? Anyway, either they’re faulty or we’re right where a bomb struck. If that’s the case we shouldn’t be alive.

 **Log entry no. 10** \- heavily damaged

                [- unintelligible -] bastard [- unintelligible -] where did he even find [- unintelligible -] Jack locked away all the guns.

**Log entry no. 11**

                For once I have to give it to Jack, locking the guns away was a good idea. We still don’t know what’s gotten into Chris. He was such a calm guy. To shoot Julie just like that?

                We lost two people, Jack shot Chris in the head.

                Jesus.

                [- long pause -]

                Vaughn, buddy, I miss you so much. Wherever you are, if you’re still alive, I hope you don’t have to witness such stuff.

 **Log entry no. 12** \- missing

**Log entry no. 13**

                Lilian got sick. We have no idea how. We were locked away here for over a month, maybe more and nobody as much as sneezed. Ok some people sneezed, but not because of sickness. It’s just, there’s so much dust and…

                I’m making excuses in front of a recorder. I really am.

                [- pause -]

                She’s so small. Only six. And we have no idea what’s wrong with her. Antibiotics aren’t working. She’s sweating buckets, crying. We’re afraid of getting it too, whatever it is she has.

**Log entry no. 14**

                Lilian died.

**Log entry no. 15**

                It’s been a while since I recorded anything. Time’s as good as any, so might as well.

                The mood is… sour. Ever since we lost Lilian we began doubting the possibility of a rescue. If I have my days right, and I’m pretty sure I don’t, we still have about a month before an all clear.

                Supplies are getting low [- unintelligible -]

                We sat there for a long while. It was the first time I heard him speak so openly about anything. He even said that he’s glad Angel is dead. At least she doesn’t have to live through all this. He has a point. I wouldn’t wish that upon anyone.

                [- long pause -]

                Fiona, Sasha are you out there? Are you with Vaughn? Or are you buried somewhere in the rubble at Hollow Point? Or what once was Hollow Point. Is it even still standing? That stupid dark cave of yours now seems on par with Opportunity. What am I saying, with Helios itself! Yeah, that’s what we’ll do! Once we’re out of here we’ll go to Hollow Point and make it the most prosperous city on Pandora. Whatcha say?

                [- long pause -]

                Please. Please be alive. [- crying heard through the rest of the log -]

 **Log entries no. 16 - 18** \- missing

**Log entry no. 19**

                I did it. I went to Jack’s room, stripped, then rode him like there was no tomorrow. To hell with weird looks, to hell with his smug grin, to hell…

                [-pause -]

                Oh my God, I slept with my boss. Well, technically not my boss anymore, but…

                [-pause -]

                Oh my God I slept with a man.

                [-pause -]

                Oh my God, I slept with Handsome Jack himself.

                What. Am I doing. With my life?

  **Log entry no. 20** \- heavily damaged (CB note: thank fuck for that)

                [- log recorded by a different person, possibly Handsome Jack -] (CB note: definitely Jack)

                Well, well. Rhysie found an audio recorder [- unintelligible -] dirty little secrets. Or how you moaned [- unintelligible -] hole clenched tightly around my [- unintelligible -] You were so eager to swallow it too [- unintelligible -] People in the future will want to know how good of a fuck Handsome [- unintelligible -] Good night Pumpkin, I’ll come tonight too. Inside you, outside you, wherever you want. We’ll see. Kisses!

                (CB note: why, why wasn’t it damaged beyond recovery?)

 **Log entry no. 21** \- damaged beyond recovery (CB note: just my luck)

**Log entry no. 22**

Mel says he wants to leave the vault. Can’t blame him. To be honest we all want to leave, but nobody said anything before. Maybe losing Lilian snapped something in him, who knows [- unintelligible -] Alice. She’s scared that Lucas will get sick too, but leaving for whatever there is with a ten-year-old?

                We’re low on food. Got enough water from the filtering system, but we eat in turns. Got to do something about that.

**Log entry no. 23**

                Mel left, took Alice and Lucas with him. I hope they will be all right.

**Log entry no. 24**

                Can’t sleep. I’m dead tired but I just can’t sleep. Was it the right thing to do? To let Mel and others out? What if they died right after we sealed the door? What if they burned alive in the heat or - or radiation? Can you even burn in radiation? What if…

                <[- another voice, muffled, possibly Handsome Jack -] (CB note: again definitely Jack): Cupcake, what the hell are you doing?>

                Recording?

                <HJ: Stop, Rhysie. Just, just stop, ok? Your wailing won’t help anyone. Now get back here, I need my personal heater.>

                Don’t you mean assistant?

                <HJ: Jeez, heater slash assistant, good enough?>

 **Log entry no. 25** \- missing

**Log entry no. 26**

                Shania… is pregnant. Shania is pregnant. Shania is fucking pregnant!

                [- muffled screaming -] (CB note: in a pillow?)

                She’s pregnant, and she doesn’t look good. Also, Lee is the father. Guess it’s good? If the kid lives it will be one hell of a brainiac. What am I saying, of course it won’t live. We have no doctor, barely any meds left, some pitiful scraps of food stored away somewhere…

                <[- loud smash, male voice -] Rhys, she’s gone!>

                What?!

                [- silence till the end of the tape -]

**Log entry no. 27**

                So… Shania ran off. Lee went after her, but not before forcing Jack to open the gun cache again. He didn’t close it after that. What’s the point? Though it might have saved Josh’s life. We found him the next night in a bathtub. Shot himself. With a corrosive Maliwan gun.

                [- pause -]

                Why did I even mention that?

                [- pause -]

                Maliwan, when your need for suicide exceeds expectations! Save 50% on funeral funding. Half of you is already gone! Maliwan, buy today! Hahah…

                [- barely audible -] Help.

 **Log entry no. 28 -** heavily damaged

                [- unintelligible -] leave [- unintelligible -]

  **Log entry no. 29**

                Hayley and Ellie made up their minds. They’re leaving… in the morning, I guess? Days became one grey blob. Noah is still debating whether to go with them or not. He will. I’m almost sure of it. Even if he is coughing up blood. Somehow I have a feeling he doesn’t have too long.

                That will leave just me and Jack in this hellhole.

                [- pause -]

                Hellhole in the hellhole? Hellhole in the hellhole on a hellhole? God, I’d kill for a drink. And I know Jack drank the last bit of vodka, smarmy bastard. He had it stashed away in a vent the whole time. At least he’s warm at night.

 **Log entries no. 30-31 -** damaged beyond recovery (CB note: I’m sorry boss)

  
 

                His assumptions were right. Vaughn closed the file, causing Fiona, who was reading over his shoulder to sigh.

                “So we still have nothing, huh” she stated more than asked.

                “At least we know what happened. Sort of.” It wasn’t much. And seeing Rhys mention him in the logs weighted on his heart heavily. It was an awful feeling, one he expected, but still awful.

                Fiona crossed her arms. “Yeah, although I could have done without the info on him and Jack.”              

                Short laugh escaped Vaughn’s lips. She did have a point. “Will you tell Sasha? You know, about all this” he gestured vaguely in the direction of the file.

                “Already on my way” Fiona said as she left the room.

                Vaughn sighed and spun in his chair a few times. Rhys was right actually. Hollow Point did come out on top in all this chaos, and he and his “merry band of misfits” as some called them were doing pretty well. They recovered a lot of Hyperion data, saved people, established a few safe spots in the wasteland and were on their way to create more. Only Rhys was constantly eluding them.

                “Hey, boss?” Carrie’s voice pulled him from his thoughts. “I tinkered a bit more with that last log, and was kind of able to make it work? It’s still muffled and cuts off a bit, but overall it’s understandable.”

                He quickly grabbed the small Echo from her hands. “Thank you Carrie, you’re amazing!” Vaughn pressed the button and felt his heart skip a beat when the audio log whizzed and crackled to life. Rhys’s quiet voice reached his ears.

**Log entry no. 31**

**“** We’re leaving. Looks like this will be my last log. Sounds weird, but I’ll actually miss recording. It helped me get a lot off my chest. Jack’s grabbing whatever he can find, I’ve already packed my things. Even though it’s not much.

                I don’t know, it feels… weird. So many bad things happened here, and yet… I almost feel like I’m leaving my whole life behind. Guess I kind of am.

                We all did.”

                “Hey Pumpkin, you ready?”

                “Just give me a second.”

                “Recording again? How many of those have you made?”

                “A lot… Hey, come on, give it back!”

                “Okay people, listen up. We’ve been through hell. You've been too, but that doesn’t mean all is over. Quite the opposite, this is just a beginning! I’ll soon be back to get your asses out of whatever gutter you’re in, and believe me, I’ll do my best. Me and Pumpkin here will take this wasteland by storm! You just wait.

                This is the one and only Handsome Jack, and his one and only Cupcake…”

                “… Rhys.”

                “Signing off.”        


End file.
